IDOC officials confirmed Dean Miller, 47, was found unconscious in his ISCI cell in the early afternoon hours of Sunday, Sept. 6. ISCI staff said they immediately initiated resuscitation measures but Miller was pronounced dead shortly after paramedics arrived on the scene.

“To some degree there will always be a need to temporarily isolate some inmates so they don’t hurt themselves or others, but we must not go overboard,” wrote IDOC Director Kevin Kempf, overturning the longstanding policy of using dry cells. “We need to make sure we’re isolating the right inmate for the right period of time and under the right conditions.”

A visit inside the Idaho State Correctional Institution's kitchen

By George Prentice

Anyone who thinks that Idaho prisoners are eating high on the hog need only look at the average cost per offender meal. During the 2012 fiscal year, the cost of a meal was 81 cents--one of the lowest among the nation's state prisons.